FAQ & Info

Take This is an informational organization. The resources we provide are for informational purposes only, and should not be used to replace the specialized training and professional judgment of a health care or mental health care professional.

Take This cannot be held responsible for the use of the information provided. Please always consult a trained mental health professional before making any decision regarding treatment of yourself or others.

Self-help information and information from the Internet is useful, but it is not a substitute for professional assistance. Please seek professional help immediately: if you have thoughts of killing (or otherwise harming) yourself or others; if you are gravely disabled (unable to care for yourself); if you are abusing substances; or if you or someone else is in any danger of harm.

The sole purpose of Take This is to offer resources and information to those dealing with mental health issues. We cannot, and will not, assuming the role of your physician or therapist.

If you are in need of help, please contact a qualified mental health care provider.

How to Help

How to help Take This

Thank you so much for your interest in helping us out! There are lots of ways to help, from as simple as following us on social media to spreading the word to donating time or money. We’ve put together a handy list.

Sign up for our newsletter

You can sign up for the newsletter here. We’ll inform you of upcoming volunteer opportunities, events, panels, fundraising events, and more!

How to donate to Take This

Any way that you prefer is fine with us and much appreciated! You can donate here.

How to Talk About Mental Health

Tips

Self-care matters. Self-care and wellness are two cornerstone principles of Take This and our outreach efforts. We ask that in all of your streaming activities, especially prolonged streaming efforts, you visibly and overtly practice self-care (e.g., taking breaks and eating) as an example for the viewing public.

Validation matters. Expect that people will talk about their mental health when you are streaming for us. Please validate their concerns and struggles in an empathic manner, and then offer our mental health resource page (see below).

Language Matters. What we say, and how we say it, matter a lot to people experiencing mental health challenges. It’s easy to use mental health terms in common language, not being aware that they can shame and impact people challenged by these conditions.

Example: “This is unbelievable.” vs. “This is insane.”

Example: “I’m so OCD.” vs. “I’m really picky.”

Label the diagnosis, not the person. We are all people first. Our mental health does not define us, positively or negatively. To that end, generally avoid identifying or labelling a person as their diagnosis, or with that identifier. Mental health diagnoses are only one part of a person, not their whole identity, and our language should reflect that.

Articles

Article/Blog post submission

That’s awesome! Thank you! You can submit all the necessary information via this form.

We will review your submission, and if we are interested in publishing your article, you will be contacted via the email address you originally used, with proposed edits. If Take This and the submitting author agree upon edits, it will be published on our site. Submission is not a guarantee of publication.

Cross posting an article you wrote for us

If you’d like to cross post an article you write for us, that’s generally fine as long as the following rules are followed:

The original post is exclusive to Take This for at least 24 hours from the time of original publication on our site. You may cross post after that time.

The post must be cross posted in its entirety.

Any cross post includes the following statement at the top of the page, below the headline, but before the post content: “This article was originally written for TakeThis.org, a mental health nonprofit which seeks to inform our community about mental health issues, provide education about mental health challenges and prevention, and reduce the stigma of mental illness.”

Linking our articles on your site, social media, etc.

Absolutely! We love that people are excited about the work we do, and if you want to point people to our website and/or resources, feel free!

Company representation or promotion on TakeThis.org

We’re glad you believe in what you do! That’s awesome! Unfortunately, we usually have to say no to these requests, as they violate our mission by being endorsing or promotional in nature. Please see above for our rules on expert articles. You’re still welcome to promote our website and our mission.

AFK Room

Sponsoring an AFK Room

We always appreciate individuals and companies who want to support the mission of Take This. Our various operations, including the event-based AFK Room, require ongoing financial support to keep moving forward. If you and/or your company would like to support us, please email sponsorships@takethis.org.

What does AFK mean?

It means we’re old. AFK is an internet acronym meaning “Away From Keyboard” that dates back at least two decades. It represents the idea that the AFK Room™ is a means of getting away from the hustle and stimulation of crowded convention spaces. As one of our founders likes to say, “The AFK Room is the most boring room at the show, by design!”

Why isn’t the Take This AFK Room open later?

The AFK Room always has at least one mental health professional volunteering in the room while open. Additionally, all the volunteers in all our AFK Rooms room go through the same, unified Take This training prior to volunteering in the room. As much as we wish we could be for everyone who needs us at all hours, if we don’t have available volunteer mental health clinicians who have completed our training, we cannot keep the room open.

What’s the difference between a quiet space/chill out room at a convention and a Take This AFK Room?

With our first AFK Room debuting in April 2014, we were the first organization in the world to offer clinician-staffed mental health spaces at conventions. Take This has an established, proprietary training program that trains our volunteers to moderate and maintain the atmosphere of the AFK Rooms, as well as offer education, resources, and a listening ear to convention attendees without verging into offering therapeutic treatment.

Allocating a quiet space at conventions is a wonderful start, though it carries certain risks. If they are unstaffed (or if they are staffed by people who are untrained at how to maintain the balanced decorum of such a space), the quiet rooms run the risk of being used by attendees in ways that negate the rooms’ original purpose and paradoxically creating more stress on already vulnerable attendees.

Streaming, Trademark Usage, & Resources

What is the Ambassador Program and how do I get involved?

The Ambassador Program is a new project we’re working on that partners us with content creators who are committed to our values and mission and want to be a representative of our organization. It is a way for folks to talk about mental health issues on their streams, be a safe and positive environment for folks to go to, and raise awareness and funds for Take This and its mission.

We at Take This work hard to make our logos and images (our “marks”) recognizable symbols for people looking for information, education, and hope. We appreciate your desire to help us spread the word about our organization.

If you’ve formally partnered with us on an individual basis, we have or will provide terms for your use of our marks. Otherwise, we expect you to abide by the following guidelines whenever you use our marks. If we think that your use of our marks is in violation with any of our agreements with you or these guidelines, or if we feel that your use isn’t in Take This’ best interest, we can revoke your right to use our marks at any time.

Your use of our marks shouldn’t suggest any sponsorship or endorsement by us, unless we’ve explicitly agreed to such use in writing.

You shouldn’t use our marks in a way that might confuse them with other brands.

If you have any questions about using our marks, feel free to reach out to us.

Individual promotion for charity steams or fundraisers

That’s great! We usually have to say no to direct promotions as they violate our mission by being endorsing or promotional in nature. We will inform the community about charity streamers at our discretion via our social media outlets, but do not endorse any specific persons, games, etc. If you would like to consider a partnership with Take This, please contact us.

Other

Is Take This hiring?

Not currently, but in case we are, we often reach out to our established volunteers, as they are familiar with the culture and operations of Take This. That said, we’d love to grow to the point that we need to publicly post job openings. Until then, the best support you can give is either volunteering at a convention, donating to us, or both!

Our Social Media Policy

Our social media policy outlines use for our official Take This accounts as well as use for personal accounts of our board, staff, and active volunteers and ambassadors.

I have another question that was not addressed here.

If you have any other questions or need additional information, please contact us. We’ll make sure it gets to the right person to be answered.

Take This, Inc seeks to educate, inform, and advocate about about mental health issues in our community. We do not provide mental health services or professional consultations. For information on when to seek dedicated clinical help and how to find it, please visit our “When to Seek Help” page. If you or someone you know is in crisis, in need of immediate intervention, and based in the US, please visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or call 1-800-273-8255. You can also text AFK to 741741. Information for other countries/areas can be found here.

9805 NE 116th St
Suite 7411
Kirkland, WA 98034

Take This, Inc. 2019
EIN: 46-3882735

Take This is a mental health nonprofit decreasing stigma and increasing support for mental health in games.

We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit mental health organization providing comprehensive resources and support that is tailored for the unique needs of the game development community and embraces the diverse cultures and issues of the game community. We combine clinical best practice with a love of all things gamer, providing a safe, accepting space for gamers and developers. We work in a spirit of partnership with other organizations addressing these issues among game enthusiasts, streamers, and creators.